Electroplating apparatus.



S.. S. JACOBSEN. ELEGTHOPLATING APPARATUS.' APPMOAMON HLBD H1245! 1910.

91g 919 Patented J2m.10,1911r 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

smsN sAN'Nn JAcoBsEN, or BEAVER, PENNSYLVANIA.,-

ELECTROPLATING ArPAIiATUs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known' that I, SiiaN SANrIn'JAoo-- SEN, a resident of Beaver, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement -in Electroplating Apparatus, of'wliieli the following 1s a specification. This invention relates to-electrog-plating apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for electro-plating long cylindrical or circular objects sucli as rods, tubes, etc. Y

The object of the invention ,is to provide apparatus .for the purpose stated which` is of simple construction, Vpracticall automatic in the feeding and -delivery o the articles to be plated and whereby tubes can be plated either inside or'outside, or both. inside :u id outside.

llie invention comprises the construction and arrangement of apparatus hereinafter described and claimed. 'In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus; Fi 2 is a longitudinal section thereof on the line 2 2 vof Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional' detail view on the lin'e 4 4 of Fig. lg'and Figs. 5 and (i are detail views of the inea-ns for insulating the core.

The apparatus comprises a suitable tank l which may be constructed of any suitable material and which is preferably provided with a lining 2 of suitable insulating material, such lining being preferred no matter of what material the tank may be constructed and being necessary when vthe tank is constructed of conducting material.

In the side walls of the tank, or in a suitable franie or support, are suitable bearings in which are journaled transversely al`` ranged feeding screws 4 and 5. These -screws may be driven from any suitable'- ineehanisin, tliedrawing showing the screw shafts provided withl bevel gears 6 meshing with similar gears 7 on a longitudinal shaft 8 mounted in bearings 9 secured to the side walls of thetank and arranved to bedriven from anysuitable source. ne of the screws 4 and 5 is right hand and the other is left hand; and the gears 7 engage respectively on opposite sides with the gears 6, inorder to rotate the screws in opposite directions and prevent feeding the tubes or rods being coated endwise. Preferably, the driving means will be arranged to secure varying speeds so as to vary the rate of travcjl o the l articles through the tank in order to secure a coating of greater or lesser thickness. As

10 4from suitable and reversely arranged cone pulleys 11 or any suitable' means whereby a change ofspeed can be secured.:

tubes or, other articles being coated, said converging toward one end. Theipipes or bars to be coated are shown at 12.

while carrying them sidewise vthrough the tank, the'screws are provided at intervals the delivery ends of the screws, and which, `when they come underneath the pipe or bar, liftV the same. and cause the same teA roll down the said projections.L aswill be readily apparent. l

which have their ends inclined so that .when in vertical position they slope outwardly, as is Ashown in" Fig. 3. These arms lift the. tubes or bars being coated above the side Wall of the tank and allow the same to roll off the saine and down inclined4 guides or ways 17 to any suitable receiving means, such as the truck or wagon 18. Preferably,

than the other, or one slightly larger in diameter than the other, in order` to allow air to escape from the tubes being'eoated and permit the plating solution toenter.. So, too, oneof the lifting arms 15 is slightly onger than the other,V so that`when the tube 1s lifted, 'it will be slightly inclined in order that the plating solution may drain out.

f The anodes are shown 2 0 arranged longitudinally of the tank and connected by means of conductors 21 to an external bus-bar 22 which will be connected to the positive terminal of the circuit. When tubes are to be coated internally, I provide internal anode cores 23, the ends of bus-bars 24, which are connected vby conductorsgQ to the external bus-bars 9L. The tubes or bars being coated forni the cathode. To this end the screws upon which the articles aresupported are connected by conductors 27 to the negative terminal of the circuit. By the arran ement described tubes can be coated interna ly as well as externally, as will be readily7 understood bv those In order to rotate the articles being'coated' he. screws, at their deliveryends are provided with lifting arms 15- shown, the shaft-8 is driven by meansof belt 'In order that th'escrews do not bearcontinually against the same portions of thev screws are arranged slightly diagonally or 'with projections 14 which incline toward one of thelscrews 4 and 5 is slightly higher in form of plates v wliicliare arranged 'to roll along internal larticles are supported, said screws are some` f 'surfaces of the screws.

what protected by mea-ns of transverse shells l or boxes 30 formed of insulating material E and extending up into proximity to the top y These boxes break the direct flow of current from the'anode.

lates to the screws. On account of these oxes, the anode pla'tes'Qt) are formed in4 sections, adjacent end s of which are united by means of -conductors 31 extending underneath the insulating boxes 30,

To prevent leakage of current the screws j 4 and 5 are n'ot made solid but as shown in i Fig. 4, that is, composed of an internal shaft l 32 and an external metal, such as copper,

i sleeve or shell 33 in Whi'ch the screw' threads stuffing-box may also be used.-

areformed'. The sleeve -is separated from the shaft by'a layer of insulating material 34.-, auch as cement, asphaltum, or the like. The circuit connectors 37 are connected to thesleeves 33 andare located j ustA inside' of the'insulating lining of the tank. To pevent portions of the bath or solution leaking out around the journals of the screw shafts 32, the bearings of the latter are provided -with transverse seats 36 which. are filled With Waste or the like, saturated with oil or grease and which acts as a stopper or stuffing-box for the solution. An ordinary In order to p'revent the anode cores 23 ,fromcontacting with the interior ofthe "tubes, I provide suitable non-conducting spacers, shown inth'e drawings as a strip 38 of some non-conducting fabric, prefer- -ably sheet rubber, having holes or slots 39 cut therethrough at intervals,through which holes the 'anode cores are threaded, thereby giving said strip a wavy or fluted shape, andv forming proections which hold the anode core space from the walls of th tube.

The apparatus illustrated and described is of simple construction, requires no considerable' power to operate, and provides for the automatic feeding of the articles through the tank and the'delivery therefrom. f The articles may be moved across the tank at any' desiredrate of speed in order to secure any desired thickness of, coating thereon.

AAll parts are thoroughlyf insulated and the parts are so arranged as to getV perfect coating. The labor cost of operating is reduced t'o a minimum, as a single operator can attend to a number ot tanks. The feeding of 'the material is effected entirely by' engagement therewith vfrom below., so that the machine; l'cannot break or getout. of order it several tubes should come too close to each other. A

f The feeding screws and their mechanism may be mounted in a frame which is loose in the tank, so that they can be lifted out departing from the spirit of the invention.

l'Vhat I. claim is: t

l. lllectro-plating apparatus comprisinga tank, a pair of right and left supporting and feeding screws mounted transversely therein below the level of thesolution in the .ta-nk, electrical connections to said screws, and mechanism for rotating said screws in opposite directions,

2. Electro-plating apparatus comprisiiiga tank, a pair of-right and left supporting and feeding screws mounted transversely therein below the level of the solution in the tank Aand converging toward one end, electrical connections to said screws, and cmechanism for rotating said screws in oppositeA directions.

3. Electro-plinting apparatus comprisinga tank,a pair of supporting and feeding screws mounted transversely therein below the'level 'of the solution in the tank, 'projections on said screws having faces sloping longitudinally of the screws and arranged to litt the articles and cause the saine to roll, and mechanism for rotating the screws.

4. Electro-plating apparatus comprising -a tank, a pairof supporting and feeding screws mounted transversely therein, electrical conncc'tions to said screws, lifting and delivery :ii-ins on the delivery end of s'aid scrcws,and ii'iechanism for rotating said screws.

5. 'Electr-@plating apparatus comprising a tank, a, pair otJ supporting and 'feeding screws mounted transversely therein, mechanism for rotating the screws, projections having sloping Faces arranged longitudinally of the screws and arranged to lift the articles and cause the saine to roll, and lift'- ing and delivery arms' at delivery ends of saidscrews.

' 6. Electro-plating apparatus comprisingaA tank, a air of right and left supporting and feeding screws mounted transversely therein below the level of 'the solution in' the tank, mechanism for rotatingr said screws in opposite. directions', connections from thc I negative terminal t'o said screws,- and anodes arranged ilrsaid tank. e i

7. .Electro-plating 'a paratus comprising a tank, supporting and eeding screws mounted transversely therein, negative circuit con- I vnections to said screws, anode platesA in said tank, and insulating shells partlyinclosing said screws.

8.` Electro-plating apparatus comprising a tank, vsupporting and feeding screws l ser ies mounted transversely therein, and each eoinprising a shaft, e spiral eondueting member, insulating material between said shattand spiral member, and negative eireuit connections to said spiral member.

9. Electro-plating apparatus eomi'irisinga tankt supporting and jteedingl screws mounted in said tank and eaeh comprising' a shaft, a shell provided with spiral groor s, iiisulating material. between said shaft'. and shell, negative eii'euit eruiiieetions to said shells= and ineehanisin toi' rotating` said screws 10. tllectro-plating apparatus comprising a tank, journal bearings in the Walls et said tank, supporting' and feeding screws mounted in said bearings, said bearings beingl provided with i'eresses arranged transversely to the journal oit" the screws, and a Vfilling of oily material in said recess.

il. in apparatus ttor electro-platii'ie tubes or pipes, comprising a tank, transversely arranged supporting and feeding screws therein, negative eireuit eoniieetions to said sereii'sa anodeeoi'es arranged to be inserted in the tubes, and transversely arranged positive conductors eontnetied by said anode core".

l2. .fipparatus for electro-plating pipes and tubes. eoiiiprising a tanli, a pair of transversely arranged supporting and feediiizg screws therein. negzitive Circuit connections to said serews, anode .plates arranged in the boitom of the tank, anode cores arranged to be inserted in the tube, and transverse eonduetors to be contacted by the ends di3 said anode Cores.

13. Electro-plating apparatus comprising -a tank. a pair of rotatable supporting and feedingl members mounted transversely therei'ii below the level of the solution-in the tank, a .series of projeetions on eaeii oit said ineinbers haring lares slopingjil longitudinally thereoi' and arranged to lift the articles and cause them to roll, and mechanism for rotatingsaid members.l

1l. Electro-plating lapparatus comprising a tank, a pair of rigid rotary supporting and teedin members mounted transversely therein. negative eireuit Connections to said meinbers7 anode plates in said tank., and insulatiipe' shells partly inelosing said supporting and teeding members. y

.15. Apparatus for electro-plating .tubes or pipes. eeinprisiiiriv a tank, transversely arranged supporting and feeding members therein. negative eireuit connections to said members, anode cores arran ed in thetubes, :uid transvi sely arranged positive eondurtors contacted by seid inode cores.-

1G. Apparatus `for electro-plating tubes and pipes, comprising a tank, a. pair of transversely arranged siipportiiig and feeding members therein, negative circuit. oonneetioiis to said members. anode plates arranged in the bottoni olf the tank7 anode Cores arranged to be inserted in the tube, and transverse izonduetors arranged to be contacted by the ends of said anode cores.

t7. ln apparatus i'or electro-plating tubes and pipes, an anode core, and an insulating spacing member on said eoie comprising a flexible member formed to provide a series ot' openings or slots separated by portions uniting the sides of said ineinbe and adepted to have the anode core threaded through said opening or slots and be thereby given a zig form. Y

18. in apparatus for eleetro-plating pipes and tubes, an anode core. and aninsulating spacing' member comprising a fabric strip provided with a series of openings or slits said strip and adaptedzto have the anode core threaded through said openings and be thereby given a Zig zag forni.

Vseparated by portions unitingthe sides of .ln testimony whereof7 i have hereunto set my hand.

SREN SNNE JGOBSEN.

lifitnesses:

F.l W. W iN'iiiii, JAS. L. WnLnoN.

ed to be-insert- 

